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Questions & Answers about Masa este gata pentru prânz.
Why does masa end with -a, and what does that suffix do?
In Romanian, the definite article is attached to the end of a noun. For feminine singular nouns like masă (“a table”/“a meal”), adding -a gives masa, meaning “the table” (or by extension “the meal”).
Why is the adjective gata used here, and how does it agree with masa?
Gata means “ready” and functions as an adjective. In Romanian, adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. Masa is feminine singular, so you use the feminine singular form gata. If it were masculine singular, you’d see găt (though that form is rare in everyday speech).
Could I use the past participle gătită (from a găti, “to cook”) instead of gata?
Gătită is the past participle of a găti and means “cooked/prepared.” Saying masa este gătită would literally mean “the table is cooked,” which doesn’t make sense. To say “the meal is cooked,” you’d use mâncarea este gătită (since mâncarea = “the food”). To express that the meal is ready, gata is the natural choice.
What does pentru mean, and can I use la instead as in la prânz?
Pentru means “for” (indicating purpose). Masa este gata pentru prânz = “The meal is ready for lunch” (emphasizing its purpose). You can say Masa este gata la prânz (“The meal is ready at lunchtime”) to indicate time rather than purpose.
Why doesn’t prânz take a definite article like masa does?
When a noun follows the preposition pentru, it stays in its indefinite form. So prânz remains simply “lunch” without the article. If you wanted “for the lunch,” you’d need something like pentru prânzul de azi (“for today’s lunch”).
How do I pronounce the â in prânz?
The letter â (like î) represents the sound [ɨ], a high central unrounded vowel not found in English. To approximate it, position your tongue in the middle of your mouth—neither forward (as with “ee”) nor back (as with “oo”)—and produce a short, neutral uh.
Can I say Masa e gata pentru prânz instead of Masa este gata pentru prânz?
Yes. e is the colloquial contraction of este (the third-person singular form of a fi, “to be”). You’ll hear Masa e gata pentru prânz all the time in casual conversation and informal writing.